The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is a television series focusing on a young Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. The idea was conceived as a pitch from screenwriter Tim McCanlies in the late 1990s. The television series was eventually established even though there were ideas to produce the television series Smallville, which would focus on a young Clark Kent before he became Superman. In 2014, Gotham served a similar concept to the show. Cast * ' '''Bruce Wayne (Ian Somerhardler) * Harvey Dent (Michael Rosenbaum) * William Dent (John Glover) * Julie Madison (Amanda Seyfield) * Alfred Pennyworth (John Cleese) * Ethan Bennett (Andrew Stewart Jones) * Arnold Flass (Adrian Holmes) * Lucius Fox (Richard Gant) Episodes Season 1 (2001) Confirmed Plot Points * Bruce coming into conflict with the local mafia, led by Ariana's father who is a mobster, and this will happen while Bruce is investigating possible leads on who may have had his parents killed. * Bruce's ally is Det. Flass, who has his own enemies in the GCPD, led by Lt. Peter Paulings. Flass' story arc would have revolved around his struggle with police corruption. * Harvey Dent is Bruce Wayne's best friend, the same age as him. Rich, spoiled, selfish, and shameless, Harvey's friendship with Bruce might lead him to take a different route later in life. Harvey's story will be fleshed out: his heartless as well as abusive father and subtle hints as to his development into Two-Face. 1. '"Pilot"-'Lucius Fox bails soon to be 15-year-old Bruce Wayne from a London police station, after Bruce has gotten himself into another fight. Lucius informs Bruce that the trustees from his family's company need to see him, and though he'd rather stay where he is, Bruce nods when Lucius tells him he has no choice. After having a nightmare about his parents' murder, Bruce wakes up in his private jet and turns on the TV to see every show talking about him, including one hosted by Vicki Vale. Meanwhile, Lucius reads a book on troubled teens. Arriving in Gotham City; Bruce ponders why anyone would live in a city like this, as he points out running his company does not seem to be "part of the plan". After being mobbed by reporters, the two finally arrive at Wayne Manor where, after snapping at Lucius for bothering him because he got emotional from seeing his family portrait, Bruce heads out. With Lucius at his side, driving the Rolls Royce, they arrive at the area now known as Crime Alley. Bruce visits the very place where his parents were killed, where he opens up to Lucius, saying that it was his fault, all because he had to see ''Zorro, described by him as "a silly movie about a 'hero' who wears a costume and fights crime". Suddenly, thugs appear, and despite Lucius' pleas, Bruce fights the thugs. Using martial arts that he has learned, Bruce fights, disarms, and defeats the thugs. Bruce and Lucius drop the thugs off at Gotham PD, but their report is almost ignored until Bruce is recognized by a 13-year-old fan - Barbara Gordon. The two have a conversation, and Barbara introduces her father, someone Bruce already knows from when he was six: Detective Arnold Flass. Ignoring the board with notes and arrows pointing towards Dent Corp, he asks Flass who killed his parents.8 Flass shows Bruce the file on his parents, which is now a cold case because the killer was never caught. When asked about the thugs or even his family's company, all Bruce says is that he's leaving soon, because he wants nothing to do with Gotham City. As Bruce leaves, Flass asks about William Dent, whom he's meeting the next day. While he nods, ↵he notices if Flass' words are a warning. Meeting Dent the next day, Bruce asks about the ↵investigation, and Dent notes the police commissioner is a close ↵personal friend. As Bruce is about to sign, because of the sight of ↵Lucius,↵ he explains that he will look over the papers at his home. Now an ↵intern, Fox reveals his father's "accidental" death, while Dent needs the papers signed first thing in the morning, for his 18th birthday is only two days away. Knowing the danger Bruce is now in, Lucius suggests a lawyer, and Bruce thinks of another old friend - Harvey Dent. Right in the middle of a costume party, Harvey welcomes Bruce back and says he will look at the papers. Bruce decides to stay at the party, even though he hates costumes, because he spots a stunning woman wearing a tiger costume: Ariana Sionis. Bruce is pulled away from Harvey, who wants him to meet his sister. While waiting, Bruce talks to an attractive girl wearing an angel costume. When Ariana and Harvey come into the room, Bruce learns the angel is Susan, Harvey's sister. Because Ariana says she is "saving" Bruce from where he is, Susan leaves. Bruce becomes angry at Ariana, so she leaves too. Before he can do anything, Bruce is informed by Lucius that Flass called for him at Ace Chemicals. Arriving there, and noticing the green pool of hazardous chemicals, Flass and Bruce, only to learn neither one called the other. It's a trap! The access hatch closes and locks, and water rushes in. 2."Homecoming"-'''Working together, Flass and Bruce find a tunnel 20 feet overhead, and using acrobatics, Bruce gets himself and Flass to safety. Both agree that someone wants them dead. Nearby, Dent watches. The next morning, Bruce and Flass meet with Lucius, talking about his late father, whom they described him as "nervous" just before he died. As Fox says he will check around, Bruce meets with Harvey, who demands that he does not sign the papers. While this happens, Harvey gets two phone calls from his sister and his father, with him playing both sides. All of a sudden, Harvey's mood swings and he tells Bruce to sign the papers. Bruce changes the subject and asks about Susan, and Harvey tells him the location of where she works. As they leave, two sedans come up behind the Rolls and open fire. A chase begins, and ends at where Susan works: the Gotham City Youth Shelter. Meeting Susan, Bruce apologizes and asks for a date, successfully getting back on her good side. Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce creates a ruse to explain why he did not turn in the papers yet. Just then, Flass calls and tells him what Fox found: weekly shipments of hazardous waste. Bruce wants to meet, but Flass tells Bruce to stay. Bruce gets an idea. Later, Bruce arrives at Ace Chemicals, dressed all in black, and follows Flass, James Gordon, and Harvey Bullock. Suddenly, the three encounter the bad guys. Bruce helps, but stays out of sight the whole time. After defeating the last guy (with a banana peel), he leaves. Bruce and Lucius meet Flass, learning the chemicals were drugs, and later hear that the head bad guy hanged himself. Later, Bruce is greeted by a surprise birthday party with Harvey and Susan, Ariana, Arnold Flass, Lucius Fox, Jim, and Barbara Gordon, and Bullock,. It's midnight, and Bruce Wayne is 16! Harvey destroys the papers Bruce was told to sign, as he now owns WayneCorp. William comes to the party and tells Bruce that his stock might take a beating if word gets out about the drugs. He gives him a book, "Business for Beginners", and after he leaves, Bruce tells everyone that he has a lot to learn and he's staying in Gotham. 3."Lost"-'Bruce begins to experience flashbacks on the night of his parents' deaths and begins to suspect William Dent knows something about it. This happens when Bruce is starting his senior year at Hamilton Hill High and reviving many friendships, especially with Julie Madison. In flashbacks, Bruce was born in 1991 from Thomas and Martha Wayne. Bruce's early childhood wasn't explained as much. However all throughout Gotham City in the 1990's, Thomas told his good friend Lucius Fox that in case of his death, he doesn't want Bruce to be CEO until he is truly ready at least after entering in college. Lucius had been there to help Bruce. Not only Lucius but the Waynes' trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth, Martha's brother Jacob Kane, Martha's sister-in-law who is Jacob's wife, Leslie Thompkins (Bruce's godmother), Arnold Flass, and Lucius Fox have all agreed to Thomas and Martha's request that if something tragic happens to them, they would be there to watch over Bruce. In 1996, Thomas and Martha Wayne were threatened by mobster Roman Sionis. Against Thomas' wishes, Martha asked William for help in protecting them against Sionis. Thomas finds out and becomes angered at Martha for this. When taking Bruce to the Opera and then deciding to leave when Bruce exhibits a fear of bats, Bruce witnessed his parents murdered after they got shot by an unknown male. Bruce was heartbroken. He was consoled by Rookie Officer Jim Gordon until Alfred came to get him. Lucius automatically became Bruce's guardian after Thomas inducted in the Waynes' trust that Lucius would be the guardian if the parents are unable to be Bruce's guardians. As for the Wayne Legacy--which included Wayne Manor, the Wayne fortune, and Wayne Industries, the ownership was given to Lucius upon the right time that Bruce will be the successor of the Legacy once he becomes 21. Alfred was not pleased by this and left Gotham for England since he wanted to be Bruce's guardian if anything were to happen to the Waynes. In the present, Aa mysterious storm happens in Gotham, and Dent Corp accidentally releases a mysterious chemical into Gotham despite William's best attempts to stop it. 4.'"Ageless"-'Flass with the help of Lucius, investigate the lab explosion at Dent Corp. Bruce and Julie find a baby with no parents and take him back to Wayne Manor. However, when the baby, Evan, ages from a newborn to a 7-year-old in less than a day, it becomes clear he is aging at a rapid rate and they turn to Harvey for help. William wants Flass and Fox to stop investigating him which is why he goes to District Attorney Janice Porter for help. Knowing that Porter embodies an ends-justify-the-means attitude towards her work, William legally obtains evidence against Rupert Thorne after visiting his childhood friend Roman Sionis for information on him. William gives Porter a recording of Sionis reciting all of Thorne's crimes, including a list of five shell companies owned by him. William tells Porter hat the companies' books have enough RICO violations to put Thorne behind bars and offers this evidence in exchange for her dropping the investigation against Dent Corp, assuring her that the lab explosion was an accident. Porter agrees to it and later on pulls strings to get Flass and Fox to stop investigating. She then tells Commissioner Grorgan, Flass' superior, that her her office "uncovered" new evidence against Thorne, who will face indictment for several counts of money laundering, among others. Harvey becomes suspicious of William's plans. 5.'"Toxic"-'Two girls from Bruce's school are found dead outside Dent Manor, and have no obvious cause of death. The Gotham district attorney, Delbert Billings (Steve Weber) pressures Flass to arrest Harvey in suspicion of committing the murders. William learns about his son's troubles and flies to speak to the Governor of the state that Gotham City is in to seek help. However, Bruce's own investigation reveals some shocking information about a connection between William and the teenage girls where William was having an affair with both of them. Bruce,with help from Lucius, discover that the two girls were never shot, but were stabbed; the M.E's report was supposed to go to the detectives, but Billings intercepted it. Bruce then re-examined the tape to discover it was faked--the key point was the static interference that happened before the showing of him killing the girls. Bruce realized all along Billings was the one who framed Harvey for murder. Leo investigated Billings' background to inform Bruce the ring Billings always wear has the power to create illusions. Bruce noticing he has to stop Billings before Harvey is brought to Blackgate. Bruce set up a meeting with him, Billings, Harvey, Flass, and Lucius. Bruce tells everyone what he found about and has proof Billings framed Harvey. Flass tries to arrest Billings, yet Bruce realizes the Billings who they were cornering was an illusion. Bruce and the others eventually chase and capture the real Billings with the help of Detective James Gordon spear tackling him to the ground. By the end, Harvey's name is clear and Billings is brought to Blackgate; however, unbeknownst to the correction officers, he is in possession of his ring. 6.'" Games"-'Ethan is offered a chance by famed book collector, Carl Bourne (John Lithgow), to participate in a CLUE-inspired mystery murder game. Bruce finds Thomas Wayne's journal which contains shocking information about Wayne Enterprises, William Dent, and a secret project thought to be extinct. However, when Bourne himself is found dead for real, Ethan and the rest of the guests, including Bruce, Flass, Mayor Hermione Grange, and Lucius, are trapped in Bourne Manor which is why they must work together to uncover with killed Bourne. According to a voice on the intercom, there is a culprit among them and the only way to escape his Murder Mystery Game is to figure out who. With each clue, however, the game becomes deadlier and begins to take its toll on Bruce who's obsessed with solving the mystery. While trying to figure out one for the clues, Lucius and Ethan question Bruce's priorities, especially when they find Rupert Thorne, who was kidnapped from prison and then left in Bourne Manor after being drugged. It soon becomes clear that Flass, Thorne, Grange, and Lucius each had a role to play in the ruining the life of an innocent man, name Ernie: Thorne for smuggling and letting him take the fall, Lucius for giving the tip on the shipment, Flass for the arrest, and Grange for sentencing him to imprisonment, including Humprey Dumpler, who was the voice on the intercom, that stood by and did nothing when Dumpler was working as Thorne's accountant. Dumpty has brought the man who all of them are responsible for ruining his life, and give him the chance at revenge, but he refuses. Dumpy tries to destroy them, but Bruce states that he is as guilty as they are. In the end, Ernie is set free, while Humpty and Thorne are arrested. Bruce asks Lucius about the extinct project and Lucius admits that it may have been the reason why Bruce's parents were murdered. Enraged, Bruce goes looking for William despite Lucius' pleas. 7.'"Avalon"-':Lucius tells Detective Flass about a secret project that has thought to been extinct and that it may have led to the Wayne murders since Thomas Wayne did not approve of it while William Dent did. Bruce hunts down William for the truth even though he is placing himself in mortal danger when William tries to revive the project. An incident occurs leaving Bruce in a coma for a week and William missing, assumed to be deceased. Bruce wakes up after learning what has happened and gets into a heated discussion with Lucius about Bruce putting his own life in danger when Lucius wants to leave the investigation to Flass. Bruce, Ethan, and Harvey have a huge conversation where the suspect a friend of theirs named Dorian honing the ability to think anything and instantly erupts it into fire. Dorian learns of this ability and begins to use it to commit bank robberies and instantly kills anyone who stands in his way. Bruce manages to track Dorian and defeat him just in time by tricking Dorian into setting his hideout on fire, killing him. This happens when Bruce and Ethan are investigating Dorian. Flass begins to secretly suspect Bruce might be one of the infected meta-humans when Bruce is playing innocent after Flass finds him at the warehouse where Bruce was fighting Dorian. Harvey is investigated by FBI Special Agent Alexandra Davis for the whereabouts of his father only for Harvey to not know. At an abandoned motel in Gotham, William Dent is revealed to be alive and well when he checks into a motel with a briefcase containing unknown contents. When William opens the briefcase upon entering his bedroom he smiles knowing that everything he has is all there. 8.'"Redux"-'In gym class during a swim race, Bruce faces off against Troy Turner for the bragging rights to being the fastest in the school. Troy kisses his girlfriend Chrissy Parker for good luck before diving in. When he begins having trouble, Clark pulls him from the pool; everyone is shocked to see that Troy is suddenly 60 years older. Incidents like this start to happen to other boys in Hamilton Hill High and Bruce becomes suspicious of Chrissy, since he knows Chrissy was seen with those boys before they turned old. Ariana invites Chrissy, Bruce, Ethan, Julie, Susan, Lucius, Harvey, and several other of her friends to attend her confirmation, bringing many Sionis family members and business associates to Gotham. While serving at a poker game with Sionis and his associates, Ethan learns that Sionis is a mobster and his associates are planning his 'removal' after Ariana's confirmation. Bruce looks into Chrissy's past to discover she was 80 years old until the Dent Corp explosion happened, making her have the ability to drain the youth out of others. At the confirmation, Chrissy prepares to absorb Harvey's life after knocking him out when they're alone. Bruce confronts her telling her to stop, Chrissy defending her actions by explaining that she regarded absorbing peoples' life energy as 'saving' them from lives that would never be as good, youthful or perfect as they were at present. When she moves back towards Harvey and attempts to drain Bruce's life energy, Bruce hits her. Before he could reach her, Chrissy looks at her reflection on a spinning mirror and her enhanced aging caught up with her, resulting in her collapsing into a pile of ash in a matter of seconds. Not wanting to see his friend's father get murdered, Ethan tells Sionis about his associates planning to remove him and Sionis has them killed. Later when Harvey comes back to Wayne Manor, Agent Davis is waiting for him in the living room. Davis is very arrogant to the point of having a massive ego, as she believes that being an FBI agent means that the rules do not apply to her when it legally does. She tells Harvey she doesn't give a damn about tress-passing his home and questions him about Ariana's confirmation. Harvey demands how Davis knew about that and Davis reveals that she had the FBI tail him, hoping that it would lead them to William. Harvey tells Davis that William was childhood friends with Sionis since they grew up in the Narrows together before becoming rich businessmen. Davis then shows her photos of the mobsters found dead in their hotel bedrooms and Harvey recognizes them as the guests at Ariana's confirmation, shocking him further since Harvey believes his father is one as well. 9.'"Talisman"'-The search for the blue crystal sparks a war between the Sionis and the Dent family and the people of Gotham City falls right in the middle. A scientist (Adam West) named Carter Nichols witnesses a secret project Sionis and another doctor (Sebastian Roché) is doing, and steals the information that is central to make it work, so Sionis goes on the hunt for Nichols. Carter then seeks refuge at Wayne Manor to explain to Bruce the truth about his father. A long time ago, Thomas and William worked on Project Avalon as a means to aid people, however, Thomas shut down the project due to feeling it was too risky for Gotham. While Bruce is struggling to search for a date to the prom, Sionis abducts Lucius and Nichols. Harvey, who is searching for his father, visits Sionis' associate Sal Maroni, having waited for him in his car. As the two sit in the back seat, Maroni explains to Harvey where his father is. Although Harvey flips the coin for Maroni's judgment, it lands in Maroni's favor. Harvey then flips the coin for the chauffeur and it lands in Harvey's favor forcing Harvey to buckle in and shoot the driver in the back of the head, resulting in a car crash that kills Maroni. Agent Davis investigates Maroni's death and suspects Harvey is involved. Bruce manages to come to Nichols and Lucius' aid from Sionis. Nichols dies after taking a bullet for Lucius. Bruce then decides to not get a prom date and focus on getting to the bottom of Project Avalon. Agent Davis' investigation is called off her superiors due to orders from the FBI management in Washington. Harvey suspects his father may have been pulling the strings with the FBI and Davis warns Harvey that this is not over, hinting that she has some kind of vendetta against the Dents that Harvey has no knowledge know of. 10.'"Excalibur"-'As the battle for the control of the crystal begins, Sionis attempts to defeat the Dent family by reviving Project Avalon again and the outcome won't be pretty. While, Hamilton Hill High is putting a Spring Fling dance and Bruce, Ethan, and Ariana are among the others desperate to find a date. Dent is betrayed when his team of scientists are in league with Sionis. When Sionis is reviving Project Avalon, William becomes shocked realizing that Thomas Wayne was right not to approve of the project. Bruce intervenes when Dent and Sionis are fighting over Avalon and Bruce makes Sionis disappear by tossing the crystal to him. Harvey makes a life altering decision to move to Rome, Italy to escape the life his father had placed for him. Ariana is forced to go into hiding with her mother Tiffany since Tiffany made moves against Sionis' rivals in the criminal underworld and since Sionis is not around to protect them. The next day, Bruce meets with Ariana at the Triste café, where a masked gunman in a red hood arrives and demands the cashier to turn over the money. The man in the red hood sees Ariana and shoots her when Bruce tries to intervene. Season 2 (2002) Confirmed Plot Points * A few characters from the Batman mythos would have made appearances in either certain episodes such as a psychology professor named Jeremiah Arkham, a student named Harleen Quinzel, and a strange person from Smallville, Kansas. * This season will be like a "buddy cop" movie. * Red Hood will be the main villain for the first half of this season. * In the second half, based off the first season, Bruce Wayne would think that his family's company might not only be responsible for the decline of Gotham City and corruption within, but they may also be trying to kill him. * Alexandra Davis will return and Harvey will learn of the FBI agent's vendetta against his father. * Black Mask will appear. 1.'" Suspect"-'After being shot, Ariana is rushed to the hospital by Bruce, who is soon joined by his friends. Flass gains a description of the shooter from Bruce and calls him in for a lineup, but none of the men in the lineup is the shooter. When Ethan searches Ariana's belongings, Bruce discovers her wallet is missing. Harvey and Ethan visit Triste and learn that the shooter did not take any money from the register, meaning that it was actually a hit against Ariana. Tiffany makes plans to take her daughter out of Gotham as soon as she wakes up. Agent Davis looks into the shooting only to be called off by Flass since this is not a federal crime scene. Harvey accuses William of hiring a hitman to kill Ariana to get back at Sionis, however, William denies this and tensions develop between them when Harvey is still planning to head to Rome and is unsure his father is telling the truth. Ariana survives her shooting. In Hamilton Hill High, a teacher who has relations with her student is strangled to death by Ariana's shooter. 2. '"The Outsiders"-'Bruce founds a vigilante group called the Outsiders, to protect Hamilton Hill High students. A new student named Vicki Vale comes to school and Flass receives letters from "the Red Hood", taking responsibility for the shootings and the murder of the teacher, and detailing his intentions to target sinners. Tiffany takes Ariana with her out of town and Harvey leaves for Rome. Ethan and Vicki both refound the school newspaper, the Gazette, under the advisory of an English teacher. William tells Bruce that he should utilize the Red Hood's main weapons for the Outsiders. Inspired by this, the Outsiders make a video calling out the Red Hood and vowing to kill him. 3.'"The Town That Dreaded Sundown"-'Bruce's viral video results in negative repercussions, as Lucius and Principal demand he disbands the Outsiders. Though Bruce refuses, the Outsiders disbands regardless due to the basketball team being suspended but later reassembles with Susan's help. Bruce runs into trouble when he vandalizes the Blackgaters' territory with Outsiders graffiti. Susan inds out that Bruce intends to murder the Red Hood and convinces him to discard his gun. Vicki receives a letter from the Red Hood, revealing that her speech from the jubilee ball inspired his actions and gives her a cipher that only she could solve. The Mayor hosts a town meeting to discuss action against the Red Hood, in which Vicki's mother blames the Serpents, but Flass argues against letting fear rule them. Vicki and Ethan figure out that the Red Hood intends to attack town hall and have the meeting evacuated, before showing the letter to her parents, Flass, and the Mayor. Vicki gets a call from the Red Hood. 4.'"Lowdown"-''' Flass welcomes Detective James Gordon (James Marsden), who had just served in the United States Army, in Gotham City. Gordon and Flass witness a homeless woman being harassed by corrupt cops and they intervene. After Gordon gives the woman some money, he demands to know why the police are corrupt only for Flass to not respond. Flass learns that Gordon was born and raised in the wealthy neighborhood of Gotham, by his parents. Gordon's father Peter Gordon was a well known criminal defense attorney allowing Gordon to grow up living in a very privileged lifestyle. In the meantime, when the criminal underworld is about to tear itself apart due to Roman Sionis' absence, a new masked crime lord known simply known as Black Mask tries to reorganize everything. In order to do that, he sends an agent of his, Floyd Lawton aka Dead Shot, to eliminate William Dent, whom he has a vendetta against. Flass and Gordon work together to prevent Dead Shot from killing William after failing to prevent an attack against a mobster in Sal Maroni's restaurant. Vicki is asked by the Red Hood to publish a mugshot of her mother, Patricia Vale, of Patricia's time in the Blackgaters. Vicki eventually agrees to it only because of Red Hood threatening to kill her sister, who is at Arkham Asylum. Bruce and Susan attempt to ask each other out as they get closer to each other. Harvey is enjoying his new life in Rome until he gets a call from Susan revealing that their father has been attacked. 5.'''" Kinetic"-'''Attempting to find a suspect that can lead them to the Black Mask, Detective Gordon and his partner Arnold Flass don't realize the trouble they are putting themselves into. When they eventually find a suspect, they discover he was affected by the Dent Corp explosion and the suspect uses his powers on Gordon, making him fall unconscious. Gordon then wakes up five years into the future. Within that timeline, Gordon sees that the G.C.P.D. led by Flass have now become corrupted and in league with Black Mask. Gordon then tries his best to fight the corruption within the G.C.P.D. while Flass takes Gordon to the hospital to wake him up from his coma. Gordon is awakened in the end by Dr. Leslie Thompkins and he tells Flass what happened. Flass admits that he has been trying to put an end to police corruption in a long time and Gordon promises to aid him with that. When Gordon asks how Gotham became like this, with all those masks showing up, Flass tells him that this all happened, especially the Dent Corp explosion, when Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham. Meanwhile, Vicki is forced by the Red Hood to cut ties with Bruce, Susan, and Ethan. Harvey returns to Gotham without anyone knowing to investigate his father. Gordon is seen tailing Vicki in the end when Vicki tries to make amends to the people she has hurt after Bruce and Ethan find out she was being blackmailed by the Red Hood.